Slay the Spire: The Board Game
324 questions players ask about Slay the Spire: The Board Game, answered in plain words and graded by where the answer comes from. See also the full rulebook.
Updated 2026-10-24.
324 questions players ask about Slay the Spire: The Board Game, answered in plain words and graded by where the answer comes from. See also the full rulebook.
Updated 2026-10-24.
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2025.
Yes. The Boss goes face down on the map during setup, but anyone may check its front whenever they like, so you can plan your deck and route around it.
“You can look at the front of the boss card at any time.”
— garyrocks, designer
The rulebook's "Remove, Upgrade, Transform" section covers this directly.
Yes. Player cards are double-sided, and upgrading works by taking a card out of its sleeve and flipping it to the green-text side, so they go in the included art sleeves. Sleeving is a one-time job described on the storage guide rather than part of each game's setup.
Ironclad: 5 Strike, 4 Defend, Bash (10). Silent: 5 Strike, 5 Defend, Neutralize, Survivor (12). Defect: 4 Strike, 4 Defend, Zap, Dualcast (10). Watcher: 4 Strike, 4 Defend, Eruption, Vigilance (10). Starter cards show a gray border only on their unupgraded side, so check that side when sorting.
One player described the split, and it fits the rulebook's reward and rarity rules; no official ruling.
Each character's gray-banner (common) and blue-banner (uncommon) reward cards are shuffled together as the card rewards deck. The yellow-banner rares form a separate rare rewards deck. Golden Tickets live in the card rewards deck and point you to the rare deck when revealed.
Based on the setup illustration as one player read it; the rulebook only assigns the colored cubes to Orbs.
Red ones. The setup illustration shows red cubes on all three tracks; the yellow, blue and purple cubes are reserved for the Defect's Lightning, Frost and Dark Orbs.
The rulebook's "The Defect" section covers this directly.
They are the Defect's Orbs: yellow is Lightning, blue is Frost, purple is Dark. Put one in an open Orb slot when you Channel; if you run out of cubes of a color, the Channel is ignored.
The rulebook's "Combat Setup" section covers this directly.
No. You never draw Summons blind; you search the deck for the named enemy, so the "don't shuffle" note only keeps them easy to find. Sort cards with the same name together, and pick randomly among same-name Summons such as Gremlins.
Several players agree; there is no official ruling.
Swapped in. Each Beta Art or foil card is an optional replacement for the matching regular card, not an extra copy; the Beta Art box says as much.
Several players agree; there is no official ruling.
The count of 17 includes four copies of Ascender's Bane, which are packed with the Ascension cards and only used from Ascension 5 on. The regular Curse deck has 13 cards.
Treat it as a normal Event and shuffle it into the Event deck for the Act shown on its card back.
One to four. There are four player boards and rows, so a group of five or more needs to split into two games.
The rulebook's "Winning & Losing" section covers this directly.
There's no elimination: if any player reaches 0 HP the whole party loses immediately. The optional Last Stand rule is the exception, and only during Boss fights.
Setup orders the red reward before the blue choice; whether you may peek ahead is a community reading.
You take the red reward first, then choose one blue option, in that order; setup and the card both sequence it that way. Most players also hold that the Rewards section's Pick Order and Full Knowledge rules cover combat rewards, so you don't look ahead before resolving the red reward. A minority reads Full Knowledge as applying to Neow too.
Several players agree; there is no official ruling.
No. You pick a blue option by its type only. Anything random in it, such as a random rare or the cards in an extra card reward, is revealed after you commit.
The rulebook's "Setup for Acts II & III" section covers this directly.
No. You take Neow's Blessing once per run, when you start playing, whether that's Act I or a Quick Start into a later Act. Setup for Acts II and III has no Neow step; you heal and reshuffle your card rewards deck instead.
The rulebook's "Boss" section covers this directly.
Yes. Everything carries into the next Act, including upgrades; you don't go back to the starter deck. Your HP heals to full (only 4 HP from Ascension 6), and a full reset happens only when you start a new run.
The rulebook's "Setup for Acts II & III" section covers this directly.
Only the normal card rewards deck, including cards you skipped to the bottom. The Act decks (Encounters, Elites, Events, Boss, Summons) are swapped for the next Act's, and the rare rewards deck is not reshuffled, so a rare you passed on sits at the bottom and is unlikely to come back that run. Relic, potion and curse decks aren't reshuffled either.
The rulebook's "Remove, Upgrade, Transform" section covers this directly.
No. Cards you removed sit in your removed pile for the rest of the run. "Include skipped cards" only means the cards you turned down, which went to the bottom of the rewards deck, are part of the shuffle.
The rulebook's "Your Play Area" section covers this directly.
It simply goes into your deck. Outside combat the order doesn't matter and you may look through it; you shuffle it into a draw pile at the start of every combat. During combat you shuffle only when you need to draw from an empty draw pile (your discard becomes the new draw pile) or when an effect says so.
The rulebook's "Your Play Area" section covers this directly.
For the rest of the combat. A played Power stays face up in front of you, keeps working without being replayed, can't be discarded, and returns to your deck at the end of combat. Effects that count your Powers only count the ones you have in play.
The rulebook's "Energy" section covers this directly.
Yes, 6 is the maximum, matching the board's track. The Watcher's Miracles can push past it only when spent immediately on a card.
The rulebook's "FAQs & Random Rules" section covers this directly.
A starter Strike is one of the gray-bordered Strikes from a starter deck, and upgrading it doesn't change that. A card that merely contains "Strike" in its name, like Perfect Strike, is not a starter Strike.
The rulebook's "End of Combat" section covers this directly.
In normal Encounters each player gains the rewards printed on the enemy in the row they ended combat in, whichever enemy happened to die last. In Elite and Boss fights every player gains the full rewards, including the Elite's relic.
The rulebook's "Rewards" section covers this directly.
Yes. Full Knowledge lets you reveal every reward from the room, such as all your card reward reveals, the Boss relics and the rares, before you finalize anything. With several card rewards you still pick one card from each group of three, not any cards from the pool. Rewards created by a choice, such as Orrery's extra card rewards, only appear after you take that item.
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2024.
No. There's no rule for redrawing duplicates; it was left out to keep the rules light. Redrawing is a popular house rule if you want it.
“There's no rule to redraw duplicates. We avoided it to keep the rules overhead lower (along with lots of other small rules we cut). Feel free to play that way if you want though.”
— garyrocks, designer
The rulebook's "Rewards" section covers this directly.
All unpicked cards go to the bottom of your card rewards deck, and unpicked rares go to the bottom of the rare rewards deck. The card rewards deck (but not the rare deck) is reshuffled at the start of each new Act, so skipped cards can come back then.
The rulebook's "Setup" section covers this directly.
No. Uncommons (blue banner) are shuffled into the same card rewards deck as commons (gray banner, two copies each). Only rares (yellow banner) have their own deck, reached through rare rewards, Golden Tickets and some Events.
The rulebook's "Rewards" section covers this directly.
Yes to both. The ticket goes to the bottom of the card rewards deck and the top rare joins your choices alongside the other revealed cards. If it was an upgraded card reward, whichever card you take is upgraded, rare included.
The rulebook's "Remove, Upgrade, Transform" section covers this directly.
Treat it like any Golden Ticket: take the top card of your rare rewards deck instead and put the ticket on the bottom of your card rewards deck. The Transform rule spells this out.
Several players agree; there is no official ruling.
Take the top card of the relevant deck; a random card isn't a card reward, so you don't reveal three and choose. The setup shuffle provides the randomness, and you don't reshuffle first. Winding Halls' "two random card rewards" likewise means the top two cards of your card rewards deck.
Several players agree; there is no official ruling.
No. Unless the card says otherwise, you choose the reward type first and only then reveal what you get.
The rulebook's "Remove, Upgrade, Transform" section covers this directly.
You choose the card unless the effect says random. Remove that non-Curse card to your removed pile, then add the top card of your own card rewards deck (or the top rare if it's a Golden Ticket). Cards from another character or colorless cards also transform into a card from your own rewards deck.
The rulebook's "Remove, Upgrade, Transform" section covers this directly.
Pick any card in your deck, unsleeve it and flip it to its green-text side. Outside combat there's no hand, draw or discard pile, just your deck, which gets shuffled before the next combat.
The rulebook's "Rewards" section covers this directly.
No. Draw one relic and take it or skip it. Three-card reveals are for card rewards; Boss relics reveal one per player plus one.
The rulebook's "Rewards" section covers this directly.
No. Each player keeps the relic they drew. The optional Choose Your Relic rule changes this: reveal one relic per player and let each player pick one.
The rulebook's "Rewards" section covers this directly.
Reveal one Boss relic per player plus one (three when solo). Each player may take one of them or skip, and leftovers go to the bottom of the Boss relic deck. So in a 2-player game you reveal 3 and each player picks 1.
Several players agree; there is no official ruling.
There's no turn order. It's co-op, so the party talks it over and agrees who takes what; some groups name a tiebreaker in advance.
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2023, and it matches the rulebook.
Only potions, and only outside combat. Relics can't be traded at all (the Face Trader Event aside). Gold can't be given, but anyone may chip in toward another player's purchase at a Merchant or Event. Gold trading was cut because it led to gamey play.
The rulebook's "Rewards" section covers this directly.
Effectively yes. At the limit you may skip the new potion, pass it to a player below their limit, or use or discard one of yours first. Since potions trade freely outside combat, you can also swap afterwards.
Players agree; the rulebook only confirms that the picked card is upgraded immediately.
In the board game, upgraded card rewards come only from Act II and III Elites, and the card you pick is upgraded immediately. When the run ends, every card is reset to its unupgraded side for the next game.
The rulebook's "Unlocks" section covers this directly.
The party reveals 3 colorless cards at each Merchant, in total rather than per player, on top of each player's own 3 cards, and they're priced by rarity. Effects that give colorless cards draw from the separate colorless rewards deck, which is shuffled at setup and not between Acts.
One experienced player answered this; there is no official ruling.
Yes. You may skip the relic like any reward, but the curse isn't optional.
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2024.
No, relics are unlimited. Only potions have a limit: 3, or 2 from Ascension 4 on.
“No limit”
— garyrocks, designer
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2023, and it matches the rulebook.
You can hold 3 potions (2 from Ascension 4), and you may drink as many as you like in a turn. Gold has no cap other than the supply of coin tokens.
The rulebook's "Rewards" section covers this directly.
Relics stay with you for the whole run unless the relic or an Event (e.g. Face Trader) says to discard it. You may always skip a relic you're offered, and skipped relics go to the bottom of the relic deck.
Several players agree; there is no official ruling.
No. Every relic and potion works for any character, so don't filter the decks by who's playing. There are no starter-relic upgrades: an Ironclad who takes Black Blood keeps Burning Blood and gets both effects.
Several players agree; there is no official ruling.
Yes. A Boss relic's downside applies as long as you own it, normally the rest of the run, and relics can't be sold or discarded at will. The way to avoid the drawback is to skip the relic when it's offered.
No. Relics carry into the next Act exactly as they were, so used charges stay used. Note them down if you save between Acts.
Several players agree; there is no official ruling.
No. The egg only spends a charge when it actually upgrades a card, so an already-upgraded Elite card reward leaves the charge alone.
No. Unless the relic says to use it immediately, you can hold it and use it later in the run, then discard it.
“Can be used later.”
— garyrocks, designer
No to both. Being handed a potion counts as gaining it, which Sozu forbids. Passing a potion reward on also requires you to gain it first, so a potion in your row is simply skipped. To claim it, have a player without Sozu take that row; potions you already held are unaffected.
“You can't, it counts as gaining a potion.”
— garyrocks, designer
The rulebook's "Merchant" section covers this directly.
Yes. Ectoplasm only stops you from gaining gold. Others may contribute their gold to your purchases at a Merchant or Event.
Yes. While you own it your HP can never be above 6, so any excess is cut to 6 at once. You take it after a Boss and then heal at the start of the next Act, so the cap bites immediately either way. Effects resolve in written order: at The Moai Head you heal to 6, then lose 2, ending at 4.
Several players agree; there is no official ruling.
Yes. Its potion is in addition to any potion reward, so you can come away with two.
Look at the top card of the relic or potion deck and either buy it at its normal price or discard it; it isn't free. Only the Courier's owner can buy, with their own gold, because shared gold is only allowed at Merchants and Events.
Yes. The Fairy saves you instead of letting you die, so nothing resets and all your tokens stay. Only some enemies come back as fresh copies; players never do.
Several players agree; there is no official ruling.
Only if the potion says "any player", like the Block Potion; otherwise it affects you. You can hand potions to other players outside combat and let them drink them.
No. You lose it only at the end of the first turn, so in practice it's +1 Strength for turn one.
Players agree, by analogy with the rulebook's Shiv rules; no official ruling on the potion itself.
Separate attacks. Each can target a different enemy and is affected separately by Strength, Weak and Vulnerable, so one Vulnerable token doubles only the first. Wrist Blade applies to each.
One experienced player answered this; there is no official ruling.
During your turn, once per combat, once you've lost HP that combat. Unlike the video game they aren't automatic; you choose when to use them.
One experienced player answered this; there is no official ruling.
No. In multiplayer it gives 1 Block to every player; the 3 Block option is for solo play only.
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2022, and it matches the rulebook.
Only if the Event has a Leave option, or if you can't afford any of its options. Otherwise each player must pick one of the options in yellow brackets. The designer said skipping was meant only for when nothing is affordable, and the Event that prompted the question has since gained a Leave option.
The rulebook's "Event" section covers this directly.
No. Each player chooses exactly one option and resolves it once. Events aren't shops, and the few that are decided by the whole party say so on the card.
Several players agree; there is no official ruling.
Yes. Event text resolves in order, so a relic you just gained is already working for the rest of that Event; Omamori can stop a curse rolled afterwards. Likewise, you may pick a curse-giving option on purpose if Omamori will block the curse.
The rulebook's "Triggered Abilities" section covers this directly.
A room is any map space, while combat means only Encounter, Elite and Boss fights. So once-per-room items like Gambling Chip, The Abacus and Toolbox can also be used at Events, for example to change a die rolled for an Event, and they refresh when the party finishes the Event.
One player's reading of the Event and once-per-room rules; no official ruling on The Joust itself.
Each player who bets resolves the Event with their own roll, and once-per-room die-changing relics and potions can be used at Events.
Both work solo; just don't choose an option that needs another player. For A Note for Yourself, take the card reward option and reveal from any character's reward deck, even one nobody is playing. For Face Trader, choose Take and Give.
No. Without the card reward icon it means the top card of your card rewards deck, so you add the top two cards whatever they are. A Golden Ticket gives the top rare instead.
No. You get only the rewards the Event lists for the fight (a relic and a card), not the Boss card's rewards.
One experienced player answered this; there is no official ruling.
It's an Act I Event, so in practice it means the first ? room of the run.
Yes. Starter cards can be offered at Bonfire Spirits, though expect little or no reward for them.
One experienced player answered this; there is no official ruling.
No. It moves you up the map; you must advance at least one floor.
The rulebook's "Merchant" section covers this directly.
Neither. The Merchant lays out 3 relics and 3 potions shared by the whole party, and they aren't replaced after a purchase. Each player reveals their own 3 card rewards to buy from, plus 3 shared colorless cards once unlocked.
The rulebook's "Merchant" section covers this directly.
No. You can only buy from the cards you revealed yourself, though you may chip in gold toward another player's purchase. The relics, potions and colorless cards are open to anyone.
The rulebook's "Merchant" section covers this directly.
Buying is optional, and you may buy any number of the 3 cards you revealed. Unbought cards go to the bottom of the deck they came from. Revealing the 3 cards is part of setting up the Merchant, so you do it even if you don't plan to buy.
The rulebook's "Merchant" section covers this directly.
Each player may use Card Remove once per Merchant visit. The price is flat and doesn't rise with later removals; Ascension 8 raises it to 4 gold. To remove a second card yourself, you need another Merchant.
The rulebook's "Rewards" section covers this directly.
Only through a Golden Ticket. If you reveal one while stocking your Merchant cards, replace it with the top card of your rare rewards deck, which you can buy at the rare price. Once colorless cards are unlocked, rare colorless cards can also appear.
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2024, and it matches the rulebook.
No. The arrow pattern is background art with no effect, and Merchant cards are never pre-upgraded, though egg relics will upgrade cards you buy. The only discount is the top-left relic, which costs 1 less.
“It's just background art, it doesn't mean anything.”
— garyrocks, designer
The rulebook's "Campfire" section covers this directly.
Yes. Outside combat you have no hand, so Smith upgrades any card in your deck.
Several players agree; there is no official ruling.
A bonus to Rest. When you Rest you heal and may also remove a card; choosing Smith gives no removal, and if you can't Rest (e.g. Coffee Dripper) you get nothing from it.
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2024.
You choose. The heal and the removal happen at the same time, so the player picks the order, and you can heal first or lose the HP first.
“Healing and removing happen at the same time, so the player chooses the order they resolve.”
— garyrocks, designer
The rulebook's "The Map" section covers this directly.
No. You always move up along a path to a connected room on the next floor. Winged Boots let the whole party jump to an unconnected room, but still on the next floor, so you visit the same number of rooms.
The rulebook's "Encounter" section covers this directly.
No. It's only used for the first Encounter of Act I; afterwards set those cards aside. Later Acts draw from their normal Encounter deck from the start.
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2025.
No. Each row gets whichever Encounter card is drawn from the shuffled deck. The rules don't say "random" there because drawing from a shuffled deck already is; leaving the word out doesn't give you a choice. You can switch rows only between combats.
“The encounter card in your row is random.”
— garyrocks, designer
The rulebook's "End of Combat" section covers this directly.
After combat ends and before the next combat room, players may swap rows with each other; rows are never shared. It mostly lets you choose who faces which enemy's row-targeted attacks, since you can attack any row anyway.
The rulebook's "Elite Setup" section covers this directly.
Only the bottom row. Each Elite fight uses a single Elite, placed in the bottom row, and its Summons go in every player's row. Only Bosses count as being in all rows, so your row-wide AoE hits the Elite only when you aim it at the bottom row. The game was balanced around this placement.
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2024, and it matches the rulebook.
The player in their row, like any other enemy. Sentries sit in the bottom row and target that player; nearly all other Elite and Boss attacks use the AoE icon and hit everyone.
The rulebook's "Encounter Setup" section covers this directly.
For a normal Encounter, Summons go in the summoner's row, to its right. For an Elite, each player's row gets its own set of the listed Summons, with the Elite on the right end of the bottom row. Boss Summons go in the rows, closer to the board, with the Boss off to the right.
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2024, and it matches the rulebook.
From the Act I Summons deck: pick randomly among the Summons with the Gremlin icon on the back, not from the Encounter deck. The first printing of the card left this out, and the reprint fixes it.
“The Gremlin Leader summons come from Act I summons deck.”
— garyrocks, designer
The rulebook's "Combat Setup" section covers this directly.
Summons are never drawn blind. An enemy names the Summon it brings in, and you search the deck for it, so any order works. Keeping it sorted just makes the search faster. Pick randomly when several Summons share a name.
The rulebook's "Enemy Cards" section covers this directly.
Use two cubes, one for the tens and one for the ones; the tens are marked on the left side of the card. Some enemies use the HP board instead, with HP set by player count.
Several players agree despite one dissent; there is no official ruling.
No. An enemy's starting HP is also its maximum, so healing such as the Mystic's can't push it higher. Longer HP tracks on some cards are only for display.
No. Copies of an enemy are deliberately different, with different rewards or different die results for their actions, to add variety.
The rulebook's "End of Combat" section covers this directly.
As written, yes. Used Encounters go to the bottom, so with 4 players a later fight in the same Act can repeat earlier enemies. Reshuffling them in is a house rule.
The rulebook's "End of Combat" section covers this directly.
Nothing from inside the fight. At the end of combat, return Powers, discard and exhaust piles to your deck, remove Status and Daze cards, and lose all tokens except gold (Weak, Vulnerable, Strength and so on). Curses and cards you gained stay in your deck.
Several players agree despite one dissent; there is no official ruling.
Both are fought together, with Deca placed to the left of Donu as the card instructs. Order matters: Deca acts first, so its opening attack lands before Donu's Strength buff.
The rulebook's "Combat Round - Player Turn" section covers this directly.
At the same time. There's one shared Player Turn, and everyone plays cards, uses potions and activates abilities in any order, interleaving freely. For example, one player applies Vulnerable and another attacks into it straight away. Taking Player Turns one after another is only an optional rule (Sequential Turns).
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2024, and it matches the rulebook.
It's allowed, but discouraged. The rules suggest announcing Weak and Vulnerable early and asking things like "how much damage do you have?" rather than looking at each other's hands, which keeps the game moving and avoids quarterbacking.
“We encourage you to communicate without looking at each other's hands, because in our experience this has the best game flow and prevents quarterbacking. But we don't forbid you from doing it.”
— garyrocks, designer
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2022, and it matches the rulebook.
No and no. You always draw 5 at the start of your turn no matter how many cards you kept, and there's no maximum hand size. Retain also isn't optional.
“You draw 5 cards at the start of turn. Retain doesn't affect how many cards you draw and isn't a choice. There is no maximum hand size.”
— garyrocks, designer
The rulebook's "Start of Turn" section covers this directly.
Once per round, during Start of Turn, after resetting and drawing. That single shared roll sets every die effect for the round: enemy die actions, die relics, and cards with die icons for all players. Don't roll again until the next round.
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2024, and it matches the rulebook.
Yes. The die is rolled at the start of the round, before the Play phase, so every enemy's action for the Enemy Turn is already known when you play your cards.
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2022, and it matches the rulebook.
No. Anything that changes the die must be used right after the roll, before any other die abilities resolve, so only the final result triggers relics. The changed result then applies to every player and everything that reads the die.
The rulebook's "Start of Turn" section covers this directly.
Yes. Every relic matching the result triggers; you don't pick one, but you choose the order they resolve in. A die relic triggers every time its number comes up, so several times per combat, unless the relic says otherwise.
The rulebook's "Start of Turn" section covers this directly.
Mandatory. Die relics and Start of turn/Start of combat abilities resolve in the Start of Turn step whenever they apply, even when the result hurts you (e.g. Nilry's Codex). Only abilities you activate, like Once per combat or Once per room items, are used when you choose, and only if the text says "may" is a trigger optional.
Yes. On a 6 the Loaded Die can trigger any one die relic ability, including one that already went off on that 6 (such as The Boot), and it may even trigger its own ability. Dolly's Mirror works the same way; either one activates a single ability, which benefits that relic's owner.
“Yes, the Loaded Die can retrigger 6's.”
— garyrocks, designer
One experienced player's reading of the Loaded Die rule; no official ruling.
Yes. Pick any one ability on your other die relics, whatever number it's printed on, and resolve it once. Any other relic that triggers on 6 still does, so with Snecko Eye you also take its Daze for the 6.
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2021, and it matches the rulebook.
They don't count anything. In the board game those relics trigger on die results instead: one roll at the start of each round decides which relics trigger and some enemy actions.
“There's no counting cards or turns for relics. One die roll at the beginning of a turn determines some monster intents and relic triggers.”
— garyrocks, designer
The rulebook's "Start of Turn" section covers this directly.
Yes. Both trigger together in the Start of Turn step, in any order the players choose. So a start-of-turn effect can kill the last Darkling before its Start of Round regrow resolves.
Players differ on the timing; the card-text-overrides-rules reading is better supported, but there's no official ruling.
Before your 5-card draw. The card's text overrides the normal Start of Turn order. If your draw pile is empty at that moment, you Scry nothing; Scry isn't a draw, so it doesn't make you reshuffle. Some players instead resolve Foresight after the draw and roll like other start-of-turn abilities, which lets you see the die first.
Several players agree; the rulebook only sets the 6-Energy cap.
It adds: you reset to your normal Energy and then add what you saved, so ending with 2 gives you 5 next turn (the cap is still 6). It doesn't carry from one combat to the next.
Several players agree; there is no official ruling.
At the start of your turn, when your Block would reset. Once the Block has been cleared, it's too late for that turn.
Players agree, reading the rulebook's top-to-bottom Resolve step; no rule says so outright.
Yes. After paying the Energy, resolve the card top to bottom and skip whatever you can't do. Exhausting or discarding is part of the effect, not an extra cost.
The rulebook's "Start of Turn" section covers this directly.
No. While a card is being played it's in neither your hand nor your discard pile, so it isn't shuffled into a new draw pile; it's set aside and goes to the new discard pile afterwards. Tantrum with Rushdown isn't an exception: Tantrum puts itself on your deck as part of its text, and only then does Rushdown draw.
Most players agree, reading the rulebook's Play rules; there is no official ruling.
No. A card resolves fully before anything else is played, and potions, like cards, are used in the Play phase. Only potions whose text allows other timing (e.g. Gambler's Brew, Fairy in a Bottle) are exceptions.
The rulebook's "Play" section covers this directly.
As soon as it finishes resolving (the Cleanup step), so played cards land in the order you play them. At end of turn you discard your hand in any order you choose, which matters for effects that look at the top of your discard pile.
The rulebook's "Play" section covers this directly.
Right away, as part of resolving it. A later draw that turn can draw it again.
The rulebook's "End of Turn" section covers this directly.
No. You only discard mid-turn when an effect tells you to; everything else stays in hand until the end-of-turn discard.
The rulebook's "Targeting for Players" section covers this directly.
Yes. They keep drawing and playing cards to attack enemies in other rows, since players can target any enemy. They can still be hit by AoE attacks and the Boss.
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2023, and it matches the rulebook.
No. Combat ends the moment all enemies are dead, unless an on-death ability will summon. End of turn effects resolve in any order, so if Poison or a Lightning Orb finishes the last enemy, you can resolve that first, and Wrath, Burn and Pain never trigger.
“Combat ends immediately when all enemies are defeated, so you don't take damage.”
— garyrocks, designer
The rulebook's "Start of Turn" section covers this directly.
Yes. Your relics, including the Loaded Die, trigger off the roll, so roll every round.
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2024, and it matches the rulebook.
Strength and Block always go on the enemy using the action, even on an AoE action. Weak and Vulnerable go on the player(s) it targets. Status and Daze cards always go to players, since enemies have no deck. The Enemy Action Examples in the rulebook show each case.
Several players agree; there is no official ruling.
No. Enemy actions resolve in printed order, so the enemy hits first and gains Strength afterwards; a Cultist deals 1 on its first turn and more from then on. Each Strength token adds +1 to every later hit.
Several players agree; there is no official ruling.
Yes, "all enemies" includes the enemy itself and every enemy in every row. An enemy buff without "all enemies" in its text, like the Taskmaster's, affects only that enemy.
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2024.
Only when the action says "per player". Otherwise it's a flat amount however many people are playing.
“Block says "per player" if it works that way.”
— garyrocks, designer
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2025, and it matches the rulebook.
A gray action happens once. When the cube reaches the bottom of the track, it goes back to the topmost red slot, so after a gray opening (or a gray action at the bottom, like The Collector's) the enemy just cycles through its red actions.
The rulebook's "Abilities & Keywords" section covers this directly.
Yes. Block only stops damage; the action's other effects, such as tokens, still apply.
The rulebook's "Abilities & Keywords" section covers this directly.
Block always absorbs as much damage as it can; you can't hold it back. There's no cap on how much an enemy hit can deal, even though player Block caps at 20. Strength simply raises each hit, so 1 damage plus 2 Strength needs 3 Block.
The rulebook's "Combat Round - Enemy Turn" section covers this directly.
The first one to hit you. Enemies act from the top row down, left to right, so the first attacker doubles its damage and removes one Vulnerable token.
The rulebook's "The Dead" section covers this directly.
No. The Player Turn comes first; an enemy reduced to 0 HP is dead, loses its tokens, and doesn't act, so a Large Slime killed before its summon turn never summons.
Several players agree; there is no official ruling.
No. Elites and Bosses summon into slots to their left and act last, so new Torch Heads, Daggers or revived Gremlins first act on the next Enemy Turn. Enemies that appear at the start of a round, like a Slime Boss split or regrown Darklings, act in that round's Enemy Turn.
Yes. Treat it as a new enemy: no tokens, full HP, and its first action is the top of its track. Don't advance its cube before it has acted.
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2022, and it matches the rulebook.
No. Unlike the video game, Summons stay, and combat ends only when every enemy, Summons included, is dead or has left combat.
The rulebook's "Combat Round - Enemy Turn" section covers this directly.
Every other enemy acts first in normal order. Then the "acts last" parts resolve, also from the top row down and left to right. Only the marked part waits: a Red Slaver still hits in its normal slot, and its Vulnerable is applied at the end. Bosses always act last of all.
The rulebook's "Targeting for Enemies" section covers this directly.
The player in that enemy's row, as with any action without the AoE icon.
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2024, and it matches the rulebook.
Yes to both. "You" means any player who plays a Skill, not only the Nob's row. It's damage, not HP loss, and it comes after the Skill resolves, so Block from that Skill absorbs it. Enraged only starts on the players' second turn.
“Correct. Keep in mind it's not Enraged until your 2nd turn.”
— garyrocks, designer
One experienced player answered this; there is no official ruling.
Once per combat. It only triggers the first time that Louse takes damage in the fight.
Several players agree; there is no official ruling.
Only Attacks do: Attack cards (once per card, after it resolves, not per hit), Shivs, and effects that count as Attacks. Orb, Poison and Power damage don't trigger it. If the attack kills the last enemy, combat ends and you take nothing; otherwise the thorns still hit you.
Several players agree, based on the rulebook's split between hits and other damage; no official ruling.
Each hit (sword icon) deals at most 1 damage to a flying Byrd, whatever bonuses it has, so Strength, Vulnerable or Accuracy add nothing. A Vulnerable token is still used up. Damage that isn't a hit, such as Poison or "deal X damage" effects, is unaffected.
Several players agree despite one dissent; there is no official ruling.
Yes in both cases. "Unblocked" means some damage got past your Block, so partial Block doesn't avoid the Daze; only blocking all of it does. Buffer prevents the HP loss but not the damage itself, so you still take the Daze.
Players agree on the Mystic and Centurion; the designer only confirmed that you keep rolling for relics.
The Mystic heals every enemy in every row, though never above starting HP. When the Mystic dies, the Centurion switches right away, even that round, to taking its attack action every round whatever the die says, and gains its Strength only once. Keep rolling for relics.
Several players agree; there is no official ruling.
No. Regrow needs a living Darkling, so once every Darkling is dead they stay dead. A Darkling that does regrow comes back with 4 HP and none of its old tokens.
The rulebook's "The Dead" section covers this directly.
No. A dead enemy loses all its tokens, and a revived or regrown enemy starts fresh.
Several players agree; there is no official ruling.
It revives the Gremlins it already summoned that have died: flip them face up with full HP and no tokens. It never adds more than the original set, and the icon just shows where they come from. Its top action's Strength and Block go to all enemies.
Yes. One summon action fills up to 2 Daggers per player at once; "until there are 2" covers returning to that action while some Daggers survive. If every Dagger dies while it's on its middle action, Rally sends it back to the top.
The rulebook's "Multi-hits" section covers this directly.
Yes. It hits every player twice. Each hit gets the same Strength and Weak modifiers, and one Weak or Vulnerable token is removed after the whole action.
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2023, and it matches the rulebook.
All of them. Bosses have no single-target moves; their attacks use AoE and hit every player. Bosses count as being in every row, so they're also hit by any row-wide AoE you play.
“Bosses don't have single target moves.”
— garyrocks, designer
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2024, and it matches the rulebook.
No. Combat ends the moment all enemies are dead, so the damage never happens, and a player at 1 HP survives. The only exception to combat ending immediately is an on-death ability that summons an enemy.
“Combat ends immediately and you don't take the damage.”
— garyrocks, designer
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2024.
No. Defensive Mode only hurts you when you play an Attack card. A Shiv counts as an Attack but isn't a card, and Orbs, Poison and other non-card damage aren't Attacks at all. Some players read the rule that each Shiv is a separate Attack as triggering it, but the designer's ruling settles it.
“Each shiv counts as a separate Attack. Shivs don't count as cards.”
— garyrocks, designer
The rulebook's "Modes" section covers this directly.
Mode Shift only matters when its cube reaches the step with the Mode Shift keyword; it doesn't shift on turn 1 just because it has no Block. On that step it checks its Block before its Block is removed. If Block remains, it attacks and goes back to the top of Attack Mode. If you broke all its Block, it doesn't attack, and its cube moves to the first Defensive Mode action, which happens on its following turn. The Guardian has no second phase.
The rulebook's "Golden Rule" section covers this directly.
Yes. They don't die the first time; their own text heals them the moment they reach 0 HP, and card text overrides the general rule. Neither ever actually died, so the fight continues and they still take their action that round: Time Eater carries on with its track, and The Champ moves to Fury.
It depends on the Boss. The Champ and Time Eater keep every token except those their card removes (Weak and Vulnerable); leaving Poison on was intentional. The Awakened One's second phase is a newly summoned enemy, so phase 1 tokens are lost, and its Rebirth ability gives it Strength as printed.
“Tokens from Phase 1 don't carry over to Phase 2. Treat it as an entirely new summoned enemy.”
— garyrocks, designer
Neither. It heals, gains Strength and clears Weak and Vulnerable as printed, and its cube stays put. Its heal uses the player count you started the fight with, even if a player has died.
“The player count you started the fight with.”
— garyrocks, designer
The limit shown by the cube's current position applies to the Player Turn in progress, including the first turn, because Time Warp is an always-on ability rather than an action. Only cards you play count; potions and relics don't.
Move the cube once, to the first Fury Mode slot, and from then on he cycles through the Fury actions. His enraged AoE is 4 damage to every player, twice, not 16 and not limited to his row.
“The attack he does in fury mode does 4 damage to everyone twice.”
— garyrocks, designer
Combat continues; the split is meant to keep the fight going. Each player's row gets three slimes, placed in the listed order, at the start of the next round, after the Enemy Turn. Players effectively get two turns in a row before the slimes act. The dead Boss takes no action.
“Slime splits are intended to continue combat.”
— garyrocks, designer
Several players agree; there is no official ruling.
No. Each player takes extra damage based only on the Powers they have in play.
Several players agree; there is no official ruling.
The Collector's summon brings Torch Heads back up to 2 per player, reviving dead ones as fresh enemies. They sit to its left and The Collector acts last, so they first act the next round. The Collector's Strength buff goes to every enemy, itself included.
One experienced player answered this; there is no official ruling.
Yes, Donu gets it too.
The rulebook's "End of Combat" section covers this directly.
No. Everyone gains the rewards in Elite and Boss fights; only normal Encounters reward by row.
The rulebook's "Targeting for Players" section covers this directly.
You can attack any enemy in any row at any time, Elites and Bosses included, whether or not your own row is clear. Single-target effects pick any one enemy, and row-wide AoE picks any one row. Rows only decide which enemies attack you.
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2026, and it matches the rulebook.
Yes. Every enemy in the chosen row takes the full X, and the Boss is always hit. It works like AoE damage, but it isn't an Attack or a hit, so Strength, Weak and Vulnerable don't change it.
“Deal X damage to any row. Affects all enemies in that row, and always affects the boss.”
— garyrocks, designer
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2026, and it matches the rulebook.
No. Only hits (the sword icon) are modified by Strength, Weak and Vulnerable, and only hits interact with abilities like the Byrds' Flying. Effects written as "deal X damage" or "to any row", Orb damage and Poison are unaffected, and a Vulnerable token isn't spent on them. Cards use the written wording for non-sword damage precisely to avoid confusion.
“Damage from this wording doesn't interact with strength, weak, vulnerable, and isn't considered an Attack or hit.”
— garyrocks, designer
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2023, and it matches the rulebook.
A multi-hit, like Twin Strike. Fiend Fire makes one hit per card exhausted; Strength adds to every hit, and Vulnerable doubles each of them before one token is removed.
“Any cards that say "Deal X for each..." are multi-attacks, like Twin Strike.”
— garyrocks, designer
The rulebook's "Multi-hits" section covers this directly.
No. All hits and effects of one card or item go to the same enemy (or the same row for AoE) unless the card says otherwise. Separate cards and copies can each pick a different target.
The rulebook's "Abilities & Keywords" section covers this directly.
Yes. Everything after the AoE symbol affects all enemies in the chosen row (and the Boss). Without the symbol, an effect such as The Boot's damage or Pen Nib's Vulnerable hits only one enemy.
The rulebook's "Abilities & Keywords" section covers this directly.
Your AoE hits one row, and the Boss counts as part of every row, so it's hit exactly once. A Boss's AoE hits every player in full, and Strength it gains goes only on the Boss. Effects that hit "ALL enemies" hit every enemy in every row.
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2024.
Only if the card or relic says so. Upgraded Defends and some other cards let you choose "any player", and Spot Weakness can give Strength to anyone. A basic Defend blocks only for you, and Block from one card can't be split between players.
“No it can't. If it could, it'd be worded like Dodge and Roll.”
— garyrocks, designer
No. Players can only attack enemies, and cards only affect other players when their text says so.
“But you can only attack enemies.”
— garyrocks, designer
Players agree, reading the rulebook's top-to-bottom Resolve step; no rule says so outright.
You must do everything on the card that you can, top to bottom: if Sever Soul has a card to exhaust, it exhausts one. Parts that are impossible are simply skipped, so Burning Pact can be played as your last card in hand. Only Unplayable cards and cards with a play condition can't be played.
The rulebook's "Play" section covers this directly.
Yes. Resolve the text top to bottom. Rainbow channels in the printed order, and Calling Bell's relics arrive before its Curse, so an Omamori gained from it blocks that Curse.
Once each time you gain Block, however much Block that is and from any source (cards, Metallicize, relics). Rage grants Block separately per Attack in hand, so it triggers Juggernaut once per Attack, while a single grant like Stack's triggers it once. Juggernaut's damage isn't a hit, so Strength, Weak and Vulnerable don't change it, and it hits one enemy.
“Juggernaut triggers once each time you gain block, regardless of the amount of block gained.”
— garyrocks, designer
Most players count Second Wind as a separate 1-Block gain per card exhausted, so it triggers Juggernaut per card, though no Block is gained past the 20 cap. Wallop is read as one gain whose size equals the unblocked damage, so it triggers Juggernaut once and gets Footwork's +1 once. There's no official ruling on either.
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2024.
Limit Break doubles all your Strength, temporary Strength included, but at end of turn you lose only the temporary amount you originally gained. Doubling 1 Flex or Vajra Strength to 2 drops back to 1. Akabeko's Strength lasts only for the one attack it boosts, so there's never a moment to double it.
“This is correct.”
— garyrocks, designer
Several players agree; there is no official ruling.
It's a Power on purpose, as in the video game. It gives its Strength once when played, that Strength lasts the rest of combat, and the card sits in your Power area, so it can't be replayed or fuel Skill or exhaust synergies.
The rulebook's "End of Combat" section covers this directly.
Until the end of combat, unless a card says otherwise (like Flex). At the end of combat players lose all tokens except gold, and players can have at most 8 Strength.
Unlike the video game, it deals its damage right when you play it, since you already know each enemy's action from the die. It counts the enemy's hits (sword icons), not the damage total, so an action with two hits triggers it twice.
One player confirmed it, in line with the general Vulnerable rule; no official ruling.
Yes. Body Slam is a single hit equal to your current Block, and Vulnerable doubles it like any hit, so 4 Block becomes 8 damage.
The rulebook's "Abilities & Keywords" section covers this directly.
No. Exhausted Status and Daze cards go back to their own decks, not your exhaust pile, so they aren't counted.
One experienced player confirmed this; there is no official ruling.
Yes. Its retrieve effect does nothing, but it still exhausts itself, which triggers effects like Berserk or Feel No Pain.
One experienced player answered this; there is no official ruling.
No. Sentinel's bonus only applies when another effect exhausts it.
One experienced player answered this; there is no official ruling.
No. It deals damage to each enemy in a chosen row every turn, with no self-damage.
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2022, and it matches the rulebook.
At the end of the Player Turn, before enemies act. "End of turn" always means the Player Turn. Each enemy loses 1 HP per Poison token in one go, ignoring Block, and the tokens stay until it dies.
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2024, and it matches the rulebook.
Poison resolves as one HP loss, so any excess past 0 is wasted before their heal kicks in, and the Poison tokens stay on them afterwards. There can be at most 30 Poison tokens on all enemies combined; when they're used up, no more Poison can be applied.
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2022, and it matches the rulebook.
Shivs are tokens, not cards. Spend one for no Energy whenever you could play a card, to make a separate 1-damage Attack against one enemy, but not partway through resolving another card. Anything that stops you playing cards also stops Shivs unless it says otherwise. You start each combat with none and lose leftovers at the end.
“You only get a shiv when you play a card with the shiv symbol. You can't keep any tokens in between rooms except gold.”
— garyrocks, designer
The rulebook's "The Silent" section covers this directly.
No. Each Shiv is its own Attack, so the first one is doubled and uses up the token, and later Shivs deal normal damage unless more Vulnerable remains. The same goes for Unload's Shivs, which can also each pick a different target. Strength and Weak apply to each Shiv separately.
The rulebook's "The Silent" section covers this directly.
For each Shiv you can't hold, you may deal its 1 damage immediately or skip it, so none go to waste. You can also spend Shivs first to make room, then gain more.
Several players agree; there is no official ruling.
Only cards with the Shiv icon, such as Blade Dance, Cloak and Dagger, Infinite Blades, Riddle with Holes and Storm of Steel. Accuracy, Finisher, Slice and Unload use or reward Shivs but don't create them. Slice gets +1 if you have at least one Shiv, not +1 per Shiv. Upgraded Storm of Steel gives one extra Shiv in total.
The rulebook's "Triggered Abilities" section covers this directly.
No. Her starting ability is a Start of combat effect, so the extra draw happens only on turn 1 of each combat; later turns are the normal 5.
Several players agree; there is no official ruling.
One Poison per hit (sword icon), not per point of damage, and it applies even if the hit is fully blocked, since Block stops damage, not the hit. It works on every hit of a multi-hit such as Cunning Potion or Finisher.
Several players agree despite one dissent; there is no official ruling.
+1 per token. Each Poison and each Weak token on the target adds 1, counted separately, and it doesn't need both kinds.
The rulebook's "Multi-hits" section covers this directly.
One separate hit for each other Attack played this turn before it, Shivs included (also extra Shivs used straight away and Ninja Scroll's). Each hit gets Strength and Vulnerable and triggers per-hit effects like Envenom. A multi-hit Attack card counts as one Attack unless it says each hit is a separate Attack.
Yes, once per token you place, so Catalyst+ adding 10 Poison triggers it 10 times. Once the 30-Poison limit is reached, no tokens are placed and it doesn't trigger.
“Correct.”
— garyrocks, designer
It's once per turn, so you gain its Block at most once per turn however many tokens you place. Tokens from potions count, and adding Poison counts as placing a token, but Shivs aren't tokens put on enemies.
Several players agree; there is no official ruling.
Your HP can drop by at most 1 per round in total, however many hits you take. It exhausts at the start of its last turn and stops protecting you then, though you can order other start-of-turn effects to resolve while it's still in play.
It adds +1 to each shield icon on your Attacks and Skills that actually gives Block. Upgraded Dodge and Roll gives 2+2+2 = 6, because its extra shield icon only describes the others. Deflect with its Shiv bonus has two Block icons, so it gets +1 twice. The wording is deliberate. Footwork only affects cards played after it.
“And yes the wording is intentional, to synergize with cards like Dodge and Roll, Blur, and Deflect.”
— garyrocks, designer
The rulebook's "Playing Copies" section covers this directly.
Yes. The copy and the original both resolve, so Catalyst+ triples Poison twice, a classic Silent win.
One experienced player answered this; there is no official ruling.
Yes. Each enemy in the row takes the full amount; it isn't split between them.
Several players agree despite one dissent; there is no official ruling.
No. They only trigger when another card's effect discards them. If Reflex is discarded with an empty draw pile, it's already in the discard and can be shuffled in and drawn by its own effect.
The rulebook's "Your Play Area" section covers this directly.
Yes. It's a Power, so once played it boosts every Shiv for the rest of combat; you'd need another copy to stack it.
The rulebook's "The Defect" section covers this directly.
At end of turn, each Lightning Orb deals its damage and each Frost Orb gives Block. This is mandatory and doesn't remove the Orb. Evoking applies the Orb's Evoke effect from the player board and removes it. Unevoked Orbs stay between turns and are cleared at the end of combat; the Defect starts each combat with one Lightning Orb from its starting ability.
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2022, and it matches the rulebook.
Yes to both. You pick a target for each Lightning end-of-turn hit and each Lightning or Dark Evoke, and each can be different, including both Evokes from Dualcast. Frost has no target and only gives you Block.
“Yes, you choose where lightning and dark damage goes.”
— garyrocks, designer
The rulebook's "The Defect" section covers this directly.
No. Orbs are Evoked only by an effect that says Evoke, or when you Channel with every slot full. In either case you choose which Orb, since there is no front Orb and no rotation as in the video game, and you can Channel into any empty slot.
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2024, and it matches the rulebook.
If your slots have room, the Channel is ignored. If your slots are full, you Evoke first, and the cube from the Orb you just Evoked can be used for the new Orb; if it was a different color and you still have none, the Channel is ignored. The game includes 6 Lightning cubes.
“The Orb you just Evoked because your Orb slots were full can be placed as part of the Channel effect.”
— garyrocks, designer
Orb damage isn't a hit, so Strength, Weak and Vulnerable don't change it. It is damage, though, so enemy Block absorbs it; only HP loss such as Poison ignores Block.
Yes. The first Lightning Orb that damages a Louse triggers Curl Up. If a card damages it several times, such as Dualcast, Curl Up waits until the card finishes, so Dualcasting a Lightning Orb can kill it first.
“The first Lightning Orb damage would trigger Curl Up.”
— garyrocks, designer
Players agree; the rulebook only confirms that Prismatic Shard adds no slots.
Yes. Some cards grant extra Orb slots, which is why there are more Orb cubes than base slots. Prismatic Shard doesn't add slots.
It removes your Orbs without Evoking them, so you get nothing from them, as in the video game. It can be played with no Orbs at all.
The rulebook's "Specific Card Interactions" section covers this directly.
Consume adds +1 to every Orb type's Evoke, Frost included. A Dark Orb Evokes for 3 + 1 per Power in play, and Consume adds 2 more (1 from its text, 1 for being a Power). Bonuses from Consume or Amplify don't scale the per-Power part. For example, Amplify+ and one other Power in play make each Dark Evoke 3+2+5.
Defragment adds +1 to the end-of-turn effect of every Orb. Static Discharge adds +1 damage to each Lightning Orb's end-of-turn hit only, not its Evoke. Electrodynamics makes Lightning hit a whole row for both end-of-turn and Evoke damage. None of these affect other players' Orbs.
Most players read it this way, but there's no official ruling and one reply disagrees.
Most players say yes. Its text resolves top to bottom, so the row effect is active by the time it Channels, and Lightning Evoked then hits the full row. A minority reads the Power as not in play until the card finishes.
It triggers an Orb's end-of-turn effect without removing it. It works only on Orbs; a Dark Orb has no end-of-turn effect, so Loop does nothing to it.
The designer ruled that every "deal X for each" card is a multi-hit, which covers Barrage.
Separate hits, one per Orb, so Strength and similar bonuses apply to each, and all of them go to the same target.
The rulebook's "Specific Card Interactions" section covers this directly.
Yes. Unblocked damage makes you lose HP, which Buffer prevents. Against a multi-hit, each hit can use up a separate Buffer.
The first play Evokes your Orb twice; the copy then has nothing to Evoke and is wasted.
Several players agree; there is no official ruling.
They're meant for the Defect. Remove the two base Claw cards from its reward deck and add as many Claw-pack cards as you like; about two keeps the balance, more makes the game easier.
The rulebook's "The Watcher" section covers this directly.
+1 damage on every hit, the same as 1 Strength, as long as you stay in Wrath, so a multi-hit like Ragnarok gets +1 on each hit. Early Watcher boards misprint this as a separate hit. Eruption doesn't benefit from the Wrath it enters, because the stance changes after its damage.
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2023, and it matches the rulebook.
No. Combat ends as soon as every enemy is dead, so the Wrath damage never happens, even if an end-of-turn effect such as Poison or a Lightning Orb lands the kill; you choose to resolve that first. Wrath damage is ordinary damage, so Block absorbs it.
“End of turn effects trigger in any order players want. So if a Lightning Orb deals the final killing blow, you still won't take damage for being in Wrath.”
— garyrocks, designer
The rulebook's "The Watcher" section covers this directly.
Neither. Every combat starts in Neutral, so leaving Calm at the end of a fight gives nothing next time, and she changes Stance only when a card or effect says so. Entering the Stance you're already in is ignored.
The rulebook's "The Watcher" section covers this directly.
You can spend a Miracle any time for 1 Energy, and you can go over 6 Energy only if you spend it immediately on a card. Spending one at Start of Turn makes room for a new one; Miracles gained beyond 5 are lost. Cards that count Miracles don't spend them unless they say so.
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2023, and it matches the rulebook.
Yes. "Deal X for each…" makes a separate hit per Miracle, so Strength and Wrath add to each. "Deal X, +Y for each…" is one hit with extra damage.
It deals its full damage to every enemy in the chosen row, and the Boss, each turn. It isn't a hit, so Wrath, Strength, Weak and Vulnerable don't change it.
“Damage from this wording doesn't interact with strength, weak, vulnerable, and isn't considered an Attack or hit.”
— garyrocks, designer
The rulebook's "FAQs & Random Rules" section covers this directly.
No. Nothing tracks how many turns a card was Retained: Windmill Strike gets its bonus once if Retained last turn, and Establishment's discount doesn't accumulate.
One experienced player answered this; there is no official ruling.
Per Scry, however many cards you look at.
Several players agree; there is no official ruling.
The copy is played as if it were your own card, so your Strength, Orbs and other state apply, not theirs. Solo you just use its other option, dealing 3 damage.
Several players agree despite one dissent; there is no official ruling.
Each target takes the full damage, not a split, and the two can be any enemies in any rows.
The rulebook's "Playing Copies" section covers this directly.
"Copies" are the extra plays created by effects like Double Tap, Burst, Echo Form, Necronomicon, Blasphemy or Attack and Skill Potions. Copies cost no Energy. Two physical cards with the same name are separate cards, and each costs its normal Energy.
The rulebook's "Playing Copies" section covers this directly.
No. A card can only be affected by one play-multiple-times effect; any others wait for the next valid card. So Double Tap plus Necronomicon means your next two Attacks are each played twice, not one Attack three or four times.
The rulebook's "Playing Copies" section covers this directly.
Yes, each play is its own card: it chooses its own target, and Vulnerable, Weak and one-time bonuses apply to each play on its own. So a single Vulnerable token doubles only the first play that hits, and the second play deals normal damage.
Copies are played first. While they resolve, the original is in neither your hand nor your discard pile, then it resolves and is discarded or exhausted. So Headbutt's copy can't pick itself, a copied Exhaust card still resolves twice, and nothing else can be played between the two plays.
The rulebook's "Playing Copies" section covers this directly.
The same X as the original, and the copy costs no Energy. Whirlwind paid with X=4 plays twice at X=4.
The rulebook's "Playing Copies" section covers this directly.
Yes, each copy is a separate card. Burst plus a doubled Skill counts as 3 cards for Time Eater, and FTL's second play isn't your first card, so it draws only once.
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2025.
No. Only the first Conclude is played; it ends your turn, so no more cards, copies included, can be played.
“Correct, only the first Conclude is played.”
— garyrocks, designer
Developer answers were only relayed from Discord, and they point both ways; the no-bonus reading is better supported.
Probably not. Two developer replies relayed from Discord say a copy doesn't know the original was Retained, because you're playing the copy and it checks your own state. Another relayed reply suggested copies inherit the original's temporary state, so groups differ, but the first reading has more support.
Players disagree and there is no official ruling; this is the better-supported reading.
Yes. Each copy works out its conditions when it resolves, so the second play can differ from the first, for example Bane's bonus turning on after the first play's Envenom Poison.
Yours. The copy is played as if you played it, so it uses your Strength, Block, Orbs and other state. A copied Thunder Strike with no Lightning Orbs of your own deals 0, and an Evoke with no Orbs does nothing.
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2023, and it matches the rulebook.
It costs the copied card's current cost: you choose X equal to that cost. Cost reductions from when the card was played earlier don't carry over, because cards have no memory, so a 2-cost card played free via Madness still costs 2.
“Cost of the card you are copying.”
— garyrocks, designer
No. Doppelganger plays a copy; it doesn't become that card, so the copy's Exhaust doesn't apply to it.
The rulebook's "FAQs & Random Rules" section covers this directly.
No. Once it leaves your hand it forgets, so a redrawn Outmaneuver or Windmill Strike must be Retained again; a card still in hand at the start of your turn was Retained. The exception is cards that change their own cost, which still apply it from the discard pile, so Recycle sees Meteor Strike's reduced cost.
Most players read the rules as X = 0 (the Japanese rulebook says so), but some disagree and there's no English ruling.
Most players agree, but one points out the rulebook doesn't settle it and there's no ruling.
Most players say yes. Anger resolves fully inside Havoc, going onto your draw pile, and Havoc then exhausts it from there. The rulebook doesn't address it directly.
The rulebook's "Specific Card Interactions" section covers this directly.
No. You get the Poison from both plays, but the on-death explosion happens only once, unlike the video game.
The rulebook's "Specific Card Interactions" section covers this directly.
Yes. Any card played for 0 Energy counts, but a copy counts only if the original was also played for 0.
The rulebook's "Specific Card Interactions" section covers this directly.
Yes. Rushdown's trigger waits until Tantrum finishes, by which time Tantrum is on top of your deck, so Rushdown draws it right back.
The rulebook doesn't address this timing directly and players disagree.
It's unsettled. One reading has Rushdown draw before Eruption reaches the discard pile, so it isn't reshuffled; this fits the rule that a card being played is set aside during a reshuffle. Others hold that the card finishes and is discarded first, so it can be shuffled in and redrawn.
The rulebook's "Specific Card Interactions" section covers this directly.
Yes. It exhausts from your hand at end of turn, which triggers Feel No Pain's Block and Dark Embrace's draw. Cards drawn this way ignore their own end-of-turn and Ethereal text that turn and aren't discarded.
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2023, and it matches the rulebook.
Yes. Their cards have their full effect, and you use the same tokens, sharing the limits with that character. If you'd need Orbs or Stances, take the Prismatic Shard relic to track them; it gives no extra Orb slots. Besides certain Events, cards like Doppelganger and Foreign Influence let you play another character's cards.
No. It lasts only for that turn and is lost if unused.
"This round". Old Tabletop Simulator versions said "this turn", but the printed cards stop HP loss beyond 1 for the whole round.
“TTS is out of date on a few cards. Ghost in a Jar will say "this round".”
— garyrocks, designer
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2024, and it matches the rulebook.
No. Anything a card triggers waits until the card has finished resolving all its text. Twin Strike or Dual Cast lands every hit first, and a Louse can die before it ever gains its Block. A single hit from an Orb does trigger Curl Up normally.
“A Louse doesn't gain block in the middle of a card resolving. Twin Strike (or any multi-hit) would deal all damage first.”
— garyrocks, designer
A developer clarification relayed from Discord by a player, consistent with the rulebook's Buffer note; not posted officially on BGG.
Yes. Only player cards defer triggers until they finish. Enemy actions trigger effects hit by hit, so Buffer or Fairy in a Bottle can go off partway through an enemy's multi-hit and the later hits still land.
The rulebook's "Play" section covers this directly.
No. Their heal is a triggered ability, so it waits until your card finishes. Any excess damage and remaining hits from that card are wasted, and then the Boss heals.
The rulebook's "Start of Turn" section covers this directly.
The players choose. Start of turn, End of turn and End of combat abilities all resolve in any order the players like. For example, resolve Orichalcum before Frost Orbs while you still have no Block, or Panache after Ethereal cards Exhaust.
Several players agree; the rulebook covers Start of turn timing but not Once per turn Powers.
A Once per turn ability can be used the same turn you play the Power, whenever you choose. A Start of turn Power must already be in play when the turn starts, so Echo Form does nothing until your next turn.
The rulebook's "Triggered Abilities" section covers this directly.
Abilities you activate (Once per turn, Once per combat, Once per room) are optional and used when you choose. Once per combat items are used during the Player Turn. Triggered effects happen whenever they apply unless the text says "may".
Several players agree; the rulebook only covers the normal reshuffle.
Yes. The normal reshuffle of your discard pile counts, and so do effects that shuffle cards into your draw pile, such as Seek or an enemy shuffling in status cards.
Several players agree; there is no official ruling.
Once per card. Fiend Fire exhausting 5 cards gives 5 separate Block triggers, which also matters for Juggernaut.
Yes. Start of turn is part of your turn, so it counts each turn, starting the turn after both Powers are in play.
One player's answer, consistent with the rulebook's trigger timing; no official ruling.
Two. It's damaged twice, so its ability triggers twice, after the card finishes resolving.
One player's answer, consistent with the rulebook's trigger timing; no official ruling.
After your card finishes. Resolve the whole card first, including any Block it gives you, then the triggered damage.
The rulebook's "Abilities & Keywords" section covers this directly.
+1 per Strength token to every hit (sword icon). A single 3-damage hit like Wild Strike becomes 4 with 1 Strength, while two 1-damage hits become 2 and 2. Strength stays for the whole combat; using it doesn't remove it.
The rulebook's "Abilities & Keywords" section covers this directly.
The enemy gains a Strength token and keeps it for the rest of combat. It doesn't hit that turn, but each of its later hits deals +1 per token. Strength never adds extra hits, and Strength on your own card goes on you.
The rulebook's "Abilities & Keywords" section covers this directly.
Weak tokens don't stack. While the attacker has any Weak, each hit of its next attack (a card, a Shiv, or an enemy action) deals 1 less, then exactly one Weak token is removed. Extra tokens just cover later attacks. With 1 Weak, Whirlwind at X=3 deals 0 per hit, and Strength is added before Weak is subtracted.
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2025, and it matches the rulebook.
Weak is only used up when its owner attacks with a hit, so non-attack actions leave it in place. Weak on an enemy only lowers that enemy's attacks, not the damage you deal to it.
“A weak token on an enemy won't affect your damage.”
— garyrocks, designer
The rulebook's "Abilities & Keywords" section covers this directly.
Each hit in one Attack or enemy action is doubled, then one Vulnerable token is removed after the whole attack, so three 1-damage hits deal 6. Extra tokens don't multiply further; they cover later attacks. Separate Attacks, like Shivs, Cunning Potion hits or copies, each use their own token.
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2023, and it matches the rulebook.
Add Strength and every bonus to the hit first (Perfected Strike, Sands of Time, Strike Dummy, Hand of Greed), then double for Vulnerable, then Block absorbs what's left. A Strike with 4 Strength against a Vulnerable enemy deals (1+4)x2 = 10. The token is used even if Block soaks it all.
The rulebook's "Abilities & Keywords" section covers this directly.
They cancel: the attack ignores both Weak and Vulnerable, while Strength still applies. Afterwards the attacker loses one Weak token and each affected target loses one Vulnerable token.
The rulebook's "Abilities & Keywords" section covers this directly.
Each player or enemy can hold at most 3 Weak and 3 Vulnerable, and using them isn't optional: the next attack uses them. If a target is already at the cap, or the supply has run out, no token is placed, so effects that trigger on placing one don't happen.
The rulebook's "FAQs & Random Rules" section covers this directly.
No. Unlike the video game, they stay until used (Weak and Vulnerable) or until the enemy dies (Poison), and all tokens except gold are cleared at the end of combat.
The rulebook's "FAQs & Random Rules" section covers this directly.
Block stops any damage: hits, Burn, Wrath's end-of-turn damage and other "take X damage" effects. It never stops "lose X HP" effects such as Poison or Offering.
The rulebook's "Abilities & Keywords" section covers this directly.
The rulebook's "Abilities & Keywords" section covers this directly.
Enemy Block is removed at the start of the Enemy Turn, so a Louse's Curl Up Block lasts only for the rest of that Player Turn. Barricade (Spheric Guardian) stops that removal, but damage still strips Block as usual.
The rulebook's "Abilities & Keywords" section covers this directly.
Yes, for players and enemies alike. Block prevents only damage; everything else the hit or action does still happens.
You choose how much Energy to spend, from 0 up to what you have, and keep the rest; unlike the video game you needn't spend it all. X can be 0, so Whirlwind for 0 still counts as an Attack and uses up a Weak token, and Body Slam with 0 Block is still a hit that Strength boosts.
Several players agree; there is no official ruling.
It caps your total HP loss at 1 for the round, however many hits land. Block and Weak still apply first, so you lose nothing only if every hit is fully blocked.
Several players agree; there is no official ruling.
An enemy of your choice. Without the AoE icon it hits a single enemy in any row.
One experienced player answered this; there is no official ruling.
Nothing. Base Strength is 0, so it only helps once you've gained Strength.
The rulebook's "Abilities & Keywords" section covers this directly.
An Exhaust card goes to your exhaust pile when played and is out for the rest of that combat, returning to your deck afterwards; unplayed, it's discarded normally. An Ethereal card exhausts only if it's still in your hand at end of turn; played or discarded earlier, it goes to the discard pile. A Retain + Exhaust card isn't exhausted just for staying in hand.
The rulebook's "Abilities & Keywords" section covers this directly.
Back to their own Daze or Status deck, never your exhaust pile, so they don't count for Rampage or other exhaust-pile effects. Exhausting them still triggers "whenever you exhaust" effects like Dark Embrace and Feel No Pain.
The rulebook's "Abilities & Keywords" section covers this directly.
No. Status cards go on your discard pile; only Daze goes on top of your draw pile. The cards say where they go. An early German rulebook misprinted this and was corrected.
The rulebook's "Abilities & Keywords" section covers this directly.
The half whose icon matches the enemy that gave it to you; the other half is ignored that combat. No encounter hands out both halves of the same card, so there's never a conflict.
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2024.
No, it's optional. If you don't pay, it's discarded at end of turn and may be drawn again. Paying removes the card, which is the top half's option; the bottom half has no such option. Some enemy cards make it mandatory and say so.
“It's optional. You can pay to remove the top half, not the bottom half.”
— garyrocks, designer
The rulebook's "End of Combat" section covers this directly.
They're removed at the end of every combat and returned to their decks, including a Daze shuffled in by Turbo. Curses are different: they stay until removed. There's no limit on Status cards in your deck except the supply; when a Status or Daze deck runs out, the effect is ignored.
Yes. They're cards in your hand, so discard or exhaust effects (True Grit, Survivor, Scry for cards on the deck) can take them, avoiding their end-of-turn effects. A discarded Daze or Ethereal curse isn't exhausted, so it can come back when you reshuffle.
Each Burn in your hand at end of turn deals its damage, so three Burns deal three times as much. It's damage, so Block absorbs it. Burns aren't exhausted; they're discarded normally and leave your deck at the end of combat.
The rulebook's "Card Types" section covers this directly.
When you gain a Curse, take the top card of the Curse deck; you don't draw three and choose. Curses stay in your deck between combats and can't be Transformed. Only removal effects such as the Merchant's Card Remove or some Events get rid of them, and removed cards go to your removed pile, not back to the Curse deck.
The rulebook's "Abilities & Keywords" section covers this directly.
It stays stuck in your hand all combat because of Retain, but you still draw your normal 5. So it mostly costs one dead draw and gets in the way of effects that care about your hand, like playing your whole hand or having only Attacks in hand. Get rid of it with a discard or exhaust effect, or remove it at a Merchant.
The rulebook's "Abilities & Keywords" section covers this directly.
A card with Retain printed on it stays in hand at end of turn, every turn, until you play it; Retain granted by another effect (e.g. Well-Laid Plans) lasts one turn. A played card goes to the discard pile as usual. Retain isn't optional, doesn't reduce your 5-card draw, and printed-Retain cards don't use up Well-Laid Plans.
Several players agree; there is no official ruling.
No. It lets you keep cards in hand at end of turn but doesn't give them the Retain keyword, so they don't count for Sands of Time.
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2025, and it matches the rulebook.
Yes. Scrying an empty draw pile looks at nothing but still counts as Scrying, so Nirvana's Block triggers. Scry never makes you reshuffle.
“Nirvana still triggers if you Scry for 0.”
— garyrocks, designer
No. A developer ruling relayed from Discord says no shuffle happens without at least one card in the discard pile, so nothing triggers.
One experienced player answered this; there is no official ruling.
Combat goes on; you simply draw nothing.
Two players agree; the rulebook only notes that Unplayable cards have no cost.
Yes. It sets every card in hand to 0, Status cards with a cost included. Daze has no Energy cost at all, since it's Unplayable.
No. Only cards discarded by a discard effect count; cards moving to the discard pile after being played, or in the end-of-turn discard, don't.
The rulebook's "Unlocks" section covers this directly.
Only when a game ends, won, lost, or stopped after any Act; never between Acts of a continuing run. Each player checks 1 box per Boss defeated plus 1 extra, so a run lost to the Act I Boss still earns 1 box and clearing Act III earns 4. Extra Boss fights, like Mind Bloom's, add a box.
The rulebook's "Unlocks" section covers this directly.
Check boxes for the character you played until all of theirs are checked; only then may you check Colorless or Act IV boxes. Card unlocks are per character: when that character's boxes next to a lock are full, add the matching cards right away. Each player checks their own boxes, so bigger groups unlock faster.
The rulebook's "Unlocks" section covers this directly.
All the locked cards with the matching number go into the appropriate decks, normally that character's card rewards or rare rewards deck, never straight into your own deck; you don't pick one. Unlocked colorless cards and Neow's Blessings serve every character. Checked boxes never reset.
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2024.
Everything resets: flip upgraded cards back, return all cards except the gray-bordered starter cards to their reward decks, and put relics and potions back. Only unlock checkmarks, unlocked cards in the reward decks, and Ascension progress carry over. The reprinted rulebook's Game End - Reset section spells this out.
The rulebook's "The Dead" section covers this directly.
No. A death ends the game in defeat (outside the Last Stand option). Check unlock boxes, reset, and start a new game from setup. To jump straight to a later Act next time, use the Quick Start rules.
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2026, and it matches the rulebook.
Yes. Cards with a padlock (showing the unlock level) or Ascension icon stay out until unlocked or until your Ascension level calls for them. The character and colorless unlocks are a separate unlocks deck with its own divider, not part of the Ascension pack. To reset a used copy, sort them back out by icon. The designer recommends using the locks if you're new, since they hold back complexity.
“Complexity is a factor with what we chose to lock. So if you're unfamiliar with Slay the Spire, I recommend sticking to the unlock system.”
— garyrocks, designer
The rulebook's "Components" section covers this directly.
14 are available from the start. The other 6 come with the Colorless Cards unlock and are added when that section's boxes are all checked.
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2026, and it matches the rulebook.
In multiplayer, defeating an Act II Boss while playing with all previous Ascension modifiers unlocks the next level; solo you need the Act III Boss. Getting a full group to the Act III Boss is already an achievement, so the bar was lowered. You still play Act III normally; keys and the Heart aren't required.
“This decision was mainly made because playing 4 players and getting to the Act 3 boss feels like an accomplishment in itself.”
— garyrocks, designer
Optional: play any level you've unlocked, or none. Levels are cumulative, so each includes every lower level's modifiers. You choose the level at the start of a run, so a newly unlocked level applies from the next run. Ascension progress is shared by all characters.
The rulebook's "Ascension" section covers this directly.
They replace them. At Ascension 1, swap each Act's Elites for the Ascension 1 Elites; at Ascension 7, swap the same-named Encounters for their Ascension 7 versions and add the Ascension 7 Summons. Never mix sets: one difficulty at a time, or you aren't playing that level. The flame Burning Elite token is an Act IV feature, not Ascension.
The rulebook's "Ascension" section covers this directly.
No. Ascension 6 heals 4 HP only at the start of Act II and later Acts, and the second Act III Boss is part of the same Act.
The rulebook's "Ascension" section covers this directly.
Yes. Ascension 11 adds the Act IV Elite fight and the harder Corrupt Heart.
The rulebook's "Act IV" section covers this directly.
First unlock Act IV with its boxes. Then, in every run, collect all 3 keys (Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald) before the end of Act III. Keys never carry over, and the objectives can be done any time before the Act III Boss. Without all three, beating Act III simply wins the run, with no Boss reward cards or relics.
The rulebook's "Act IV" section covers this directly.
There are no path choices. The map is on the back of the Act IV Boss card: a Rest site, a Merchant, an Elite fight at Ascension 11, then the Corrupt Heart. You heal at the start of Act IV as usual.
The rulebook's "Act IV" section covers this directly.
Once Act IV is in play, Campfires gain a third option: all players take no action at the same Campfire, and the party gains the Ruby Key.
The rulebook's "Act IV" section covers this directly.
You may reveal the relic before deciding, and if you take the key the revealed relic is discarded to the bottom of the deck. Boss relics don't count; the key needs every player to skip a regular relic in an eligible room.
Our rulebook text and player reports of a relayed designer comment point different ways; there's no ruling posted on BGG.
Disputed. This rulebook's Sapphire Key text names only Treasure and Merchant rooms. Many players' editions also list Elites, and several players say the Burning Elite counts as an Elite, so one fight could give both the Emerald and Sapphire keys; they cite a Discord reply where the designer seemed to agree. An older reply says its different reward icons rule this out. Check your edition's wording.
The rulebook's "Act IV" section covers this directly.
It's the Burning Elite, part of the unlockable Act IV content. Before map setup each Act, replace a dark-backed Encounter token with it until you defeat it and gain the Emerald Key. Before that fight, each player shuffles two Burn status cards into their deck. You get its normal rewards plus the key.
Several players agree; there is no official ruling.
Every round, all players take 1 damage per cube on its Beat of Death track; the action that adds a cube just raises it. It's damage, not a hit, so Block prevents it, but Strength, Weak and Vulnerable don't change it.
Its Invulnerable protection lasts only until it performs its first buff action, the lowest row on its card, which removes the ability for the rest of the fight. After that you can bring it to 0.
The rulebook's "Quick Start Rules" section covers this directly.
Yes. Work down the table from the top: a full Neow's Blessing (red reward plus one blue option), then the gold, card rewards and the rest, gaining rewards one at a time without seeing the next. Finish with one party trip to the Merchant.
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2024, and it matches the rulebook.
Yes, and the Infinity achievement rewards one. Most infinites were removed (Tactician now Exhausts), and if yours is easy to see, just announce it and the party wins the fight.
“We're ok with easy to identify infinites where you can just say "I'm infinite, we win".”
— garyrocks, designer
No. The achievement means relics from the relic and Boss relic decks, so a solo player keeps the Loaded Die.
“"Who Needs Relics?" is referring to relics that come from the relic deck or boss relic deck, so Loaded Die doesn't count.”
— garyrocks, designer
One experienced player answered this; there is no official ruling.
Yes. It counts every card you own; exhausted cards and played Powers are still part of your deck.
The designer answered this directly on BGG in 2025, and it matches the rulebook.
After End of Combat step 3, once your deck is rebuilt, so Status and Daze cards are already gone and can't be picked. Curses can't be transformed, so choose another random eligible card.
“So no, you can't transform a status or daze.”
— garyrocks, designer
Players' reading of the modifier; no official ruling.
No. It only replaces Upgrades with Transforms; card rewards with other icons work as usual.
Several players agree; the rulebook's Daily Climb section doesn't mention Ascension.
It's a normal run from Act I with two rolled modifiers; other starting points are up to your group. By the rules as written, nothing stops a Daily Climb from counting toward Ascension progress, unlike the video game.
The rulebook's "Setup" section covers this directly.
A true solo game with one character starts with bonus gold and the Loaded Die relic, which stays for the whole run and is used in every Act. Solo players also reveal 3 Boss relics and unlock Ascension only by beating an Act III Boss.
One player's reading of the solo setup step; no official ruling.
No. The Loaded Die and the other solo extras are only for a game with a single character.
The rulebook's "The Last Stand" section covers this directly.
Yes. If the party wins, the dead character also gets the check for that Boss, though the run can't continue to the next Act.
The rulebook's "Sequential Turns" section covers this directly.
Yes, with the optional Sequential Turns rule. Starting from the bottom row, each player takes a full Player Turn in turn; the die is rolled only on the first, and your own start and end of turn effects happen only on your turn.